The Carmel City Council met April 17 to discuss the Carmel Clay Schools referendum, parking on sidewalks and more.
WHAT HAPPENED: The Carmel City Council unanimously voted to support a replacement referendum to fund Carmel Clay Schools.
WHAT IT MEANS: On May 2, voters in Carmel will consider whether to renew the referendum for Carmel Clay Schools at a rate of $0.19 at $100 per assessed property value. The Carmel City Council unanimously passed a resolution to support the referendum and encourage residents to vote in favor. If not passed, Carmel Clay Schools officials have said approximately 300 employees could lose their jobs.
“It would be catastrophic to CCS to lose $14.5 million of its operating budget per year,” the City Council resolution states.
WHAT HAPPENED: The Carmel City Council voted 4-2 to pass a law prohibiting parking on sidewalks and bike paths.
WHAT IT MEANS: Carmel already has a law that bans motorized vehicles from traveling on sidewalks and bike paths, but this law penalizes people for parking there as well. Motorized wheelchairs are exempt and some people can apply for a temporary permit if there’s a reason to park there. Some businesses said they need to park their vehicles on paths and sidewalks because of certain construction and maintenance jobs. Councilor Sue Finkam said she voted against the law because of the impact it would have on businesses. “I feel like this is a burden on business,” she said. “I applaud the intent, but I can’t support it.”
WHAT HAPPENED: The council gave the city approval to seek to purchase a list of properties valued at more than $25,000.
WHAT IT MEANS: The City of Carmel is looking at pieces of land throughout the 96th Street corridor that might need to be purchased for construction of roundabouts. Some of these can be small portions of land and not all are valued at more than $25,000, even if they are included on the list. The city council would approve any large purchases of land, but this resolution gives the city the power to begin negotiating a price for the land.
